Rising Sap
by Moira Colleen
Summary: After an incident in the color river, Bunny discovers something interesting about the connection between Jack and his staff.


Bunnymund sighed when he heard the splash, but he didn't bother looking around. He continued tracing delicate lines on the egg in his hand until the squashy footsteps stopped beside him.

"I take it all back. That elf is a menace," Jack said.

Bunny glanced up and snorted. Jack's hair was plastered to his forehead. Garish streaks of orange and pink vied for territory over most of his head, except for a spot near his left ear that had apparently escaped being totally submerged. As Bunny watched, the clashing colors made further inroads onto the shoulders of his hoodie one drop at a time, displacing the splashes of purple and red that currently held dominion over the formerly blue garment. His trousers had fared a little better—the dye showed less on the dark fabric, but a smattering of glitter here and there kept the festive look alive.

"Yeah, real funny," Jack groused. "From now on, I'm putting a tether on that elf before I go anywhere near the color river. No wonder North makes them wear bells."

"Hey, letting the Easter Elf help out was your idea, Jack," Bunny reminded him, grinning. "Anyway, he is wearing a bell, remember?"

"It's not loud enough, then. I didn't even hear him coming until he was right under my foot." Jack pulled off his hoodie and tried vainly to squeeze the excess dye out of it. The color had bled right through to his undershirt. Bunny just watched, chuckling.

"I know, it's hilarious," Jack grumbled. "Can I at least take a break long enough to get cleaned up?"

Bunny set the egg aside and stood up. "Sure, Jack. C'mon."

Jack wasn't sure what he expected Bunny's bathing facilities to be like. A sandy-bottomed pool under a waterfall, maybe, or a depression in the limestone bed of a chilly river. To his surprise, Bunny ushered him into a large, modern-looking room covered from floor to ceiling in pale blue egg-shaped tile. A claw foot bathtub—also egg-shaped, Jack noted with amusement—stood off to one side, but all the towels and assorted soaps waited beside a deep chamber outfitted with more shower heads than Jack had ever seen in one place.

Bunny turned on the cold water tap to the bathtub. "Let's have your clothes," he said. "I'll rinse the dye out while you wash off. You can use the robe there until they're dry."

Jack stripped down and passed his clothes over, fighting down a wave of self-consciousness. There was no reason to be embarrassed, he told himself. Bunny clearly didn't think anything of it. Why should Jack feel shy? Still, he felt more than a little relieved when the frosted glass door swung shut between them.

It didn't take long for Bunny to rinse the last of the dye from Jack's clothes, though he did have to refill the tub twice. Who would have thought that little hoodie could absorb so much in one dunking? He shook his head. There was a reason he stopped wearing clothes himself, though he'd never dare tell Jack about his first effort at mass-producing Easter Eggs. Recalling the fate of his green overcoat still made him cringe, not to mention the mess he'd made of his fur. To add insult to injury, it had happened before he had concocted dyes that washed out easily. He'd hidden his eggs under cover of darkness that year, and not dared show himself for months after.

Bunny squeezed the excess water from Jack's clothes and hung them on a clothes horse to dry. He glanced at the shower door, wondering what was taking Jack so long. Well, the kid probably didn't get access to proper bathing facilities all that often; let him enjoy it. Bunny would have to find a way to let him know he was welcome to use it any time.

A splash of color near the shower caught his eye. Though Jack had apparently dropped it before it could get a thorough ducking, his staff hadn't come through his mishap unscathed. Might as well clean that up, too, Bunny thought. He soaked a washcloth and picked up the staff.

In the shower, Jack's eyes widened. What was that? He scanned the shower chamber, but all he could see was the jets of water coming from all sides. It must have been one of them, he decided.

It really was a nice staff, Bunny thought. The texture of the wood reminded him of the staff he used to wield back when he first met North. The grain was deeper, though. The washcloth just wasn't getting into all the cracks. Bunny lowered the crook into the tub and began to scrub it with his hand.

A strangled cry came from the shower chamber. Bunny paused and turned in the direction of the sound.

"You all right, Frostbite?"

Jack pressed his legs together, trying to shield his testicles from the spray. "I'm fine, Bunny," he managed. A moment later, the sensations returned in spite of his efforts. Damndamn_damn_ his hair-trigger body! Bunny was right outside, maybe five feet away at most. This was the last thing Jack needed right now.

Bunny hefted the newly clean staff and twirled it experimentally. Much as he loved his boomerangs, sometimes he missed his old weapon. This one had excellent balance, he thought, and it felt more familiar the longer he held it. At first he couldn't think why, but then he realized: between the warm, humid air of the bathing room and the touch of the spirit of Spring, the ancient wood was waking up. Even as Bunny watched, the end of the staff grew damp with revived sap. A tiny bead formed at the tip. Unable to resist, Bunny lifted it to his mouth and delicately lapped up the droplet.

The moment Bunny's tongue swiped over the end of the staff, Jack let out a scream. Bunny dashed to the shower and threw open the door to find Jack with his back pressed against the wall and his eyes and mouth wide open, panting as though he had just run a marathon. For a split second, Jack stared back. Then he seemed to collect himself and frantically moved to cover his groin with his hands.

At the gesture, Bunny relaxed. "Sorry 'bout that, Frostbite," he chuckled. "Didn't mean to interrupt anything."

Jack glared. "It wasn't—I wasn't—look, just…" he stopped suddenly, staring at the staff in Bunny's hand.

"What are you doing with my staff?" Jack demanded.

In his alarm, Bunny had forgotten he was still holding it. "Uh, it had dye on it," he explained. "I finished with your clothes and I thought I'd take care of this, too." He raised the shepherd's crook, intending to pass it over to assure Jack it wasn't in any danger. As Bunny's hands shifted along the shaft, though, Jack's hips shivered violently, and he let out a groan.

A slow smile spread across Bunny's face. Experimentally, he ran the pads of his fingers over the curved top. Jack's eyes rolled until only the whites showed. "Bunny," he choked. "What're—oh, God…" he broke off, sliding down the wall. Bunny flipped the staff, catching the crook between his legs and angling the shaft upward in front of him. He began to stroke it slowly, watching as Jack's hips jerked forward at each pass of his hand. Jack's hands fell to his side to scrabble at the tile floor. At the sight of Jack's twitching erection, Bunny's own member slid out of its sheath. Bunny pressed it against the staff, stroking both at the same time. Assailed by phantom touches and driven further by the jets of water still spraying from the shower heads, Jack mewled and writhed on the floor. Bunny stared, unable to look away. Jack was close, he could tell. Never taking his eyes from the squirming teen, Bunny leaned forward and wrapped his tongue around the end of Jack's staff.

Jack shrieked and thrashed wildly on the tiles. The sight and sound was enough to push Bunny over the edge as well, and their voices echoed through the room. Finally, Jack went limp as Bunny sagged to the floor. Bunny caught his breath first. He let the water rinse away the evidence of their orgasms, then turned it off. Forgoing a towel, he wrapped the unresisting Jack in his bathrobe and carried him out to the sofa in his sitting room.

"All right, Jack?" he asked, brushing Jack's dripping hair out of his eyes.

Jack leaned against him, still breathing hard. "Yeah. Actually, I am. That was… I don't know what that was. That sure didn't happen when Pitch—"

"When Pitch what?" Bunny demanded, alarmed.

"Um, just something that happened on Easter. Nothing to worry about now, promise," Jack added, seeing Bunny scowl at his vague answer. Bunny nodded, but inwardly he promised himself he would get the full story out of Jack later.

"Anyway, that was… that was really good," Jack went on. "Like, best thing I've ever felt good."

Bunny caught Jack's eye. He held the gaze for a moment, then looked meaningfully at the staff and back again. "Well," he drawled, "we've got some time to kill until your clothes dry."

Jack grinned mischievously. "I think you're reading my mind, Kangaroo."

"Kangaroo?! Oh, you're gonna pay for that, Frosty!"


End file.
